Evening Republican, Volume 59, Number 123, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 June 1917 — Japanese Street Signs [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Japanese Street Signs

IT IS not known when the sign hoards first came into use in Japan, but presumably It was not long after the Introduction of writing, though that would not be necessary among a people where pictures and designs preceded ideographs representing them. Indeed, Japanese writing, like Chinese, consists of signs rather than expressions of sound, says'TT (Nakayama, M. Collgny writes in the Cincinnati Enquirer. The national ideographs are for the eye rather than the ear; to be seen rather than to be heard. There is no mention in Japanese his- . tory of the fact that in the reigns of Emperor Godaigo (1319-1339) each government official set up a door plate Signifying his name and occupation, which may be regarded as the first mention of signs in Japan. The art of advertising seems to have made considerable progress during the Tokugawa era, especially in the variety of signs used. To foreigners these signs are striking to a degree, though to Japanese they appear perfectly natural. Those in broken, antique or impossible English are, perhaps the most remarkable, for since the coming of foreigners every attempt lias been made to appeal to them, though in many cases these foreign signs are only to Impress the native customer with the idea that the shop deals in foreign goods and, therefore, sells reliable wares. The most primitive form of Japanese sign is that whereon is depicted the article for sale. The hemp dealer hangs out a bundle of raw hemp fiber; and the maker of grass or reed hats suspends some of these hats before his shop entrance, while the umbrella maker does the same. The watchmaker has a big round clock or watch over his shop, either in a tower on the roof or on the slgn over the door; —~— Sometimes the clock is a real one and sometimes only a picture. Shops that sell mirrors often do likewise. The druggist sometimes has the picture of a huge paper bag over his shop, as most Japanese medicines are sold in that receptacle. Makers of tabl, the Japanese sock, also have a big tab! in front of their shops, usually the pattern after which the sock is cut'before sewing. . Fan makers put out a half-finished fan, and so on. Sight In Front of Shops. Rouge and toilet powders are so extensively used by Japanese women that there are shops that deal exclusively in this stuff, and are Indicated by a small red flag, signifying the color which the powder will make * the cheeks. A .shop with a square piece of wood on which is painted various round dots of different colors, tells the passerby of a paint shop. From very ancient times cedar leaves have been used to represent the drink called sake. The reason for this Is because the ashes of cedar foliage have been put in sake from of old to give it a certain flavor liked by the native palate. The leaves are arranged in various forms, from a round bunch to an oblong bundle. The cedar foliage is not painted, but natural, and is replaced by fresh ones as the old fall change is made with the appearance of new sake on the market, especially at New Year. When you see a paper lantern with the painting of the tree peony on it, fhnt- the Hhon wlthtn deals in wild boar meat. Sometimes a Hon is painted In association with the peonies, as the pronunciation of the word “shishl,” wild boar, is much the same as that of the word “shishi,”. Hon. Tea dealers usually setup a picture of a tea caddy either on <he roof or in front of their places of business. Paper lanterns with pictures of maple leaves tell you where to buy deer meat, as the best venison comes from the maple forests. , / < . b, The custom of setting up signs that Involved some sort of puzzle came into vogue In the Tokugawa period, and has

been continued down to today, though more; often to be found in the provinces than in metropolitan areas. When one sees the picture of a flying arrow one knows that it is a bathhouse, as the word for shooting an arrow (yulru) sounds like yu-iru, taking a hot bath. Dealers in sweet potatoes write up the ideographs for jusanri (thirteen rl), which means that the potatoes are nicer than chestnuts (kuri-yori-umai), ku-ri, meaning nine rl, and also chestnuts ; the syllogistic signification being that as thirteen rl are greater than nine ri, so sweet potatoes are finer than chestnuts. The kite maker puts the picture of an octopus (tako) on his door, as the word for kite (tako) is much the same as that for octopus the vernacular. The dealer In beanjam buns has a horse over his shop, because the word for horse (uma) has the sound of umai-umal (sweet-sweet), not unlike foreign yum-yum, for the same meaning. Such notions may appear childish, but in the peaceful Tokugawa days people were evidently at a loss for novelty and had to do something to preclude ennui.—Such signs are now seldom seen. Some Eccentric English. To foreigners, of course, the more interesting signs are those essaying English inscriptions; which often are very remarkable for their eccentric attempts at spelling and wording. When you see a sign reading “Tailor of Resistant Wet Cat,” you know that there is a good place for cheap waterproofs. “Baggages, Sent Any Direction by Internal Railway,” means an express office. “Modified Milk for the Scientific Feeding of Infants and Invalids” is of doubtful significance, as Is also “Shifts Repaired Here.” No one doubts the meaning of “Horse-Blf Shop," though why the appeal is made to English readers no one seems to know. “Coats Made From Any Hides Yours or Ours,” sounds dangerous, but simply means furs will be made up from skins brought to the shop. “Various Kind Hairs” has the same mcenlng. “Ladies Furnished in the Upper Story” will bring you a blouse waist “Whale and All Relating It Are Sold” seems more ambiguous than it is. Tim stranger will naturally ask why such ridiculous wording is thus impudently stuck up before the public when it would be so easy to have the English corrected before being painted on the sign. Those asking such a question but show how unfamiliar they are with the country they have come to visit. The man who sets himself up as a painter of foreign signs Is not going fb admit that he cannot compose the device to be painted on them. Possibly he gets some schoolboy to find the words in the English dictionary that corresponds to the Japanese ideographs,, and -so he paints these words in any order that seems to him best. Biit what of the man who pays for the sign! Does he not object to paying for a sign covered with a jumble of mistakes and then holding them up to public view? .Well, he does not know the difference, and so long as he is none the wiser the painter will not find it profitable to seek correct Enggllsh for his signs. In Japan many things are done incorrectly simply because those who pay for the work do not know the difference.